The Problem With Parents
by SailorChibi
Summary: The emotion caused by the girl's smiling emerald eyes felt strange to Martin. Like he was getting a crush, but stronger... A tale of the first meeting and beyond. Eventual MD
1. Flowers

**Title:** The Problem With Parents

**Authoress:** SailorChibi

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** The emotion caused by the girl's smiling emerald eyes felt strange to Martin. Like he was getting a crush, but stronger... A tale of the first meeting. Slight M/D

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show Martin Mystery. If I did, they would NOT be 'just' stepsiblings. I do own Morgan Mystery and Vivian Lombard.

**Additional Notes:** This story was inspired by a new episode aired on YTV. Unfortunately, I missed the name, but it concerned the first creature _Martin_ ever captured. Yes, _Martin_, not _Martin and Diana_. This and other elements of this episode (Martin's first crush, which was a girl Diana had never met) lead me to conclude that Martin and Diana met when they were a bit older, not younger, and that Martin probably joined the Center shortly after or shortly before he met Diana. She most likely joined with him soon after. Their mother's are pure guesswork.

* * *

_Don't look at me with that smile  
Don't act like everything's fine  
Stop putting dreams in my head__...  
When you say the things you do  
It makes me want to be with you_

M2M – **_Don't_**

* * *

Sisters were boring.

This was the conclusion that twelve-year-old Martin Mystery had come to during the last couple of days. He hadn't even met the young girl who was going to be his new stepsister, but already he could tell that she was going to be boring. If she was the kind of kid that his father liked, Martin figured that she had to be the kind of kid that he wouldn't like.

He already had a list of pranks planned, ready and waiting.

Martin listened as the screen door slammed shut and sighed to himself. Leaping off the last two stairs, where he had been standing in order to try and balance out the height difference between him and his father, the pre-teen skittered into the living room. Falling to his knees, he pressed his chest against the floor as he felt under the chair for the photograph he had hidden there. It was too dangerous to hide it in his room, where it might get lost when a precariously balanced mountain of junk fell over...

The picture was of a tall woman with dark blonde hair cut in an attractive, shoulder-length style that framed her face and drew attention to her clear, crystal blue eyes. Her lips were curved into a mischievous smile, as if she had planned some knowledge that the person taken the picture didn't. She was dressed in a cherry red pantsuit that was form-fitting, revealing the slight bump just above her midsection.

Eight years after this picture had been taken, his mother, Morgan Mystery, had died after a long and difficult battle with breast cancer. Her death had not been sudden, but it had felt so. He had only been seven at the time, and it still seemed like one moment she had been there, and the next, she had not.

Settling back against the couch, Martin wondered what his mother would have thought about his father re-marrying. It was a silly question, really. Martin knew what she would have thought – Morgan Mystery had been a vivacious, fun-loving, teasing whirlwind that lived for the simple joys of life. She would have encouraged Gerard Mystery to marry as soon as he felt able. She never would have wanted her son or her husband to linger over her death.

Despite this, Martin didn't appreciate the thought of his father re-marrying one bit, especially to a woman that Martin didn't even know. That was the problem when you let your single parent go away by himself for two months to some science conference. He had asked for a souvenir, not a step–mother and –sister!

Still, Gerard seemed to be convinced that Vivian Lombard and her daughter, Diana, were just what their small family needed. Thus, the meeting between the two soon-to-be-combined groups was set up. Martin had been blackmailed into attending when Gerard threatened to toss his entire comic book collection into the trash. It wasn't exactly something Martin would put past his father to carry out with, either, so he didn't dare make a dash for the arcade.

Heaving another sigh, Martin tucked the photograph back into its hiding place and wandered outdoors, dreading the meeting that would occur within the hour. He was about to let the screen door crash shut in that wonderful way that his father hated when he caught sight of the girl. Instinctively, his hand steadied the door before it could make contact with the frame as he examined her.

She was small and slender, the top of her head level with his nose. Her hair, a warm shade of chocolate brown shot through with shades of crimson, turning it into a rich auburn, was a waist-length mass with curls at the end. It was kept out of her face by a lavender ribbon. She wore a sundress of the same shade with white flats.

Her eyes were shut as she knelt by the bushes lining the walkway. The crisp blush pink, cream yellow and pale violet blossoms appeared to soothe her, for her body was relaxed as she leaned closer to the lovely flowers to inhale the sweet scent. The buzzing of a bee who had also come to enjoy the flowers interrupted her silent reverie and she leaped to her feet, squeaking. Martin couldn't help the laughter that escaped him as the girl ran around in a circle waving her arms wildly a few times to get rid of it.

"Are you laughing at me?" she asked suddenly, stopping once she was sure that the bee had flown away. One hand went to her hip, the other clenched into a fist. Had she been any closer, she may well have reached out and smacked him one.

The out-and-out annoyance in her tone and posture caused a cocky smirk to flash over Martin's face. "Yup," he confirmed.

She glared at him, and he saw that her eyes were a deep, mesmerizing emerald green. "Fine," she said in a frosty voice, "I'm going now, so you'll have to find something else to amuse yourself with." Spinning on her heel, the girl began to step towards the street.

"Wait," Martin said quickly, feeling contrite. His somber mood had fled during his brief fit of laughter, and he was immensely curious about this spirited girl whom he had never before seen. Jumping off of the porch, he snatched a handful of flowers and presented them to her. "For you."

She looked at him for a moment, clearly wondering if he was trying to trick her, then she glanced down at the flowers. They were a mess, with half the flowers upside down and a few stray bugs falling to the ground. Just as Martin was sure that she would leave for good this time, a smile quirked her lips and she accepted the bouquet from him with a light blush and a soft murmur of thanks.

"I'm Martin," he ventured after watching her carefully separate and turn the disheveled blossoms right side up.

"Diana," she replied, and smiled at the strangely endearing boy with the messy blonde hair and dreamy hazel eyes.

Martin felt his heart jump in a peculiar way that he had never felt before. It was similar to the way he felt when he got a crush on a beautiful girl, but it was a little bit different. A little bit stronger. Bewildered, he eyed her, wondering how it was that he had missed her up until now.

"Do you... live around here?" he asked, groping for something to talk about. It was odd – normally, he had lots to talk about (his teachers often complained about how hard it was to shut him up once he got going), but this girl made his tongue feel heavy.

"No," she said simply, quietly. "Not yet, at least. My mother and I are probably moving here, though. What's that?"

"That's my spy watch," said Martin after realizing what she was pointing at. He proudly extended his wrist so that she could see the plastic watch. "It does lots of really cool stuff!"

"It looks like it came out of a cereal box," Diana commented. She had to laugh at the flat expression on Martin's face when it appeared. Clearly, her guess had been right on, much as the boy was loath to admit it. "It does look kinda cool, though," she amended, her eyes softening.

He smiled at her, clearly appreciating her effort, and this time, it was her heart that twisted. Suddenly flustered, Diana fingered the blossoms in her hands. What was this stomach churning feeling about?

"_Martin_!" the sharp male voice that rang out made Martin cringe. Obviously, it was time for the meeting. Gerard rounded the corner of the house and had started to stride towards them when he stopped, looking startled. Behind him came a petite woman with cinnamon colored hair fastened back into a French braid and coal grey eyes. She was dressed in a cream blouse and tan slacks.

"Diana!" Vivian Lombard exclaimed, clearly surprised. "There you are, sweetheart. I've been looking for you everywhere."

It was then that Martin made the connection, obviously at the same time that Diana did. They stared at each other, wearing identical shocked expressions, as their parents approached.

"_You're_ Martin?" Diana asked. The way she spoke told him that she had been looking forward to the meeting as much as he had, and suddenly, he had to grin. Sneaking a look at his future step-sister, he saw that she was smiling as well.

He stuck a hand out towards her. "I'm Martin. Martin Mystery."

"Diana. Diana Lombard," she said, reaching for his hand with her free one.

Their hands met at an equal distance between them and shook slowly. Hazel eyes gazed down into emerald eyes, and their fate was sealed. Perhaps, Martin would often reflect in the years to come, getting a new step-sister wasn't quite as boring as he had made it out to be.

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This was my first (posted) Martin Mystery fic, so I would appreciate some feedback. I have thought about doing a fic concerning the first monster they ever captured together, but I guess it depends on interest. So please, press that little pale purple/blue/white/grey button down there to review!


	2. Pink and Yellow

**Chapter Two: **Yellow and Pink

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the show Martin Mystery. I do own Morgan (the girl in the photo) and Alexander, as well as the snake creature.

**Additional Notes:** It was pointed out to me before that Morgan should have had hazel eyes, not blue. That's why the few lines about blue contacts were added in this chapter.

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_Come please I'm calling  
And oh I scream for you  
Hurry I'm falling  
I'm falling  
Show me what it's like  
To be the last one standing  
And teach me wrong from right  
And I'll show you what I can be_

**Nickelback** – **_Savin' Me_**

* * *

The house was solemn and quiet. The party attendees had long since dispersed; their cheerful goodbyes were nothing more than faint echoes. A litter of wrapping paper and ribbons still lay around the kitchen table, with a half eaten ice cream cake, slowly congealing into a sticky puddle, still sitting on top. Several half-heartedly received presents, piled into a misshapen and disorganized pile, sat at one end of the table.

_"Why are her eyes blue, Martin?"_

_"Dad told me that she always wore blue contacts to be different. But then, when I was born and I had the same color eyes, she stopped wearing them..."_

Diana Lombard glowered at the picture of Morgan Mystery that was present on the shelf of their living room. The woman's slightly cocky, mischievously pretty smile reminded her so much of her absent step-brother's that she wanted to scream. It was only with a patience that came from living with Martin Mystery for a year that she reigned in her frustration and hurt.

"You _promised_," she whispered haltingly, and reaching out, she placed the picture face-down. Then, she fled into the kitchen area, where she began to briskly collect the trash that was leftover.

Today had been the day where she _finally_ turned fourteen. She had been waiting for this day for a long time, ever since Martin suddenly began to distance himself. There had been a period of six months, back when they first met, when he had not minded hanging out with her when their parents were acting in what was a mushy fashion for them.

Despite the fact that Martin had taken great delight in teasing her at every opportunity, Diana had found herself genuinely _liking_ her step-brother. He was unlike anyone she had ever met before, and she was both attracted to and repelled by him. Generally, the attraction won out.

But then, seemingly overnight, Martin had backed off from her, confusing her immensely. For the past year and a half, it had been like a dance, but Diana was getting tired of the steps. She wanted the Martin from before back; she just didn't know how to get him. No scientific theory that she could possibly imagine offered up a reason for his behavior. It was irritating her.

Worse, it made her want to cry, and that was perhaps the most upsetting thing of all.

Tying the sides of the garbage together, Diana hauled the bulging bag over to the backdoor. One of her scribbled theories caught her attention, and she picked it up with a sigh. She and Martin had met when she had just turned twelve. Their parents had moved in together shortly after Martin turned thirteen, when Diana was roughly twelve-and-a-half. This had been when Martin began to back off. This timeline had not helped her to come to a conclusion at all. Across the bottom of the page, she had scrawled the word '_puberty_' along with several question marks.

"Stupid Martin," muttered Diana, bawling the piece of paper up. She stuffed it into the bag and dragged it outside. "Couldn't even show up for my _party_... I thought that since I'm older he'd tell me what was wrong... but he didn't even _come_ after he _promised_..."

The cool night air brushed her damp cheeks, and, horrified, she slammed the cover down on the trash can and jammed her fists into her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was cry over him. It was like an admittance that she... that she...

The phone rang, disrupting the young teenager. She scurried across the yard into the house, half-hoping that it wouldn't be who she suspected it was. Picking up the phone, she didn't wait to get her breathing under control as she gasped a greeting into the receiver. Who was she kidding? All she wanted was to see him.

"Hey, Diana, Kitten! How are you?"

The sweeping wave of disappointment was so powerful that her throat seized, and for several minutes, she couldn't speak. It didn't seem to matter, because her father was happy to fill the silence with chatter about his travels.

Diana clutched the phone tightly and squeezed her eyes shut. Her biological father's voice brought forth the image of a man with hair the color of dark chocolate and eyes the same emerald color as her own. But it was a faint image, because she hadn't seen him for a very long time.

Alexander Lombard was a businessman who traveled somewhere new every week. He was dedicated to his work and loved setting goals that were difficult to reach. Unfortunately, this meant that often, he did not see his family for months on end, which was the eventual reason that Vivian Lombard had divorced him. Custody of Diana hadn't even been a question when she hadn't seen her father for over four years.

"– and that's why I couldn't be there, Kitten," Alexander was saying, his voice mildly apologetic. "You understand, don't you?"

"Yeah..." she croaked into the phone, swallowing hard. She didn't even _know_ this man. Why did he bother to call her every year? "Yeah, I understand."

"Good." Now that he had her acceptance, his manner became sharp and efficient. "Is your mother there?"

"No..." Diana turned to look out the window at the moonlight covered lawn. Had that been a crash? "She and Da... she and Gerard went to drive Aunt Sierra home."

The brief slip went unnoticed, and when Alexander rang off a short time later, Diana wondered why she had bothered to correct herself. There certainly hadn't been a chance that he would comment on it – that would mean actually staying on the line to _talk_, something that was unheard of.

Another crash and a muffled yowl brought her closer to the windows. She surveyed the space with a puzzled look, seeking out the source of the noise. Was an animal trying to get into the garbage again? Her lovely eyes located the reason.

"Get _back_!" Martin Mystery yelled, waving a knife at a... what _was_ that? It towered a good six feet over the blonde fourteen-year-old, scale-covered with a tail covered in five-inch long spikes, and a mouthful of gleaming teeth rusted copper brown that snapped dangerously close...

Diana suddenly recalled the natural act of breathing, and she drew in a sharp breath. It exploded out of her in a shriek of shocked fear that seemed to freeze a stunned Martin as the – snake? – reared back, a hissing sort of howl of pain escaping its mouth.

The screen door swung open against the house with such force that several paint chips flecked away. Diana stumbled outside on legs that didn't seem to want to work anymore as Martin spun around, gawking at her.

The snake recovered and lashed out, enraged. Martin leapt backwards with a choked cry as Diana's analytical mind processed the situation. For a second time, she released a ringing yell, but this time with purpose. As the creature flinched, the high-pitched sound its un-doing, Martin jumped forward with his hand outstretched.

"Ha-ha," he said victoriously, approaching the corpse of the snake. He stood over it, looking oddly triumphant. "No snake gets the best of Martin Mystery – "

"Get _away_!" Diana seized the back of his shirt and dragged him backwards as the snake twitched, then sprang forward. Missing its target, the creature fell heavily to the ground and did not move again.

Martin, hazel eyes enormous, looked from it to his step–sister. "How... did you know it would do that?"

"That's how most people get bitten by snakes," muttered Diana, flexing her fingers. She sensed people entering the yard, but she lacked the strength to lift her head and see where they were coming from. It was only when two identical boots stopped in front of her that she looked up.

The woman in front of her was calmly beautiful, with close-cropped raven black hair and deep sea-green eyes. Her skin was pale, with the only visible blemish being a tiny mole above her lavender-frosted mouth. She looked very much the imposing, authoritive figure as she stared down at Diana with folded arms.

"Diana Lombard?" At Diana's nod, the woman continued, "My name is M.O.M. I am the boss of an organization called the Centre. We investigate paranormal occurrences with the help of our agents. Your step–brother, Martin Mystery, is one of our agents-in-training. After seeing your performance here tonight, we would like to extend an invitation to you to become Martin's partner."

Diana gave the woman a blank look, then searched for Martin. She found him standing by two people dressed in white. Eyes narrowing as she recalled just why she had been feeling the way she had earlier, she stood up and directed a positively chilling look towards M.O.M.

"Would you excuse me for a second?" she asked sweetly, the pieces falling into place. The puzzle was complete. "_Martin Mystery_!"

Living with his step–sister for as long as he had had given Martin a dire appreciation for both her mood-swings and the strength she could put into her fist when he really pissed her off. He cringed ever so slightly as the girl stalked over to him, her eyes flashing.

"Uh... hey, Di," he offered after a pause.

Reaching him, Diana halted. She took a good long look into his eyes, searching them for something. Whatever she failed to find pushed her over the edge, for she didn't hesitate in slapping him across the face as hard as she could.

Martin's head snapped to the side with the force of her strike. As the world came back into focus, he spotted the limp helium balloons dangling from the mailbox. His heart found a new home in his stomach as he turned back in time to see the door slam.

"Agent Mystery," said M.O.M. after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, I know," Martin replied, curling his hand around something in his pocket. "Just... wait a minute, okay?"

He hurried into the house, climbing the stairs three at a time. Outside of Diana's door, he stopped to listen. He couldn't hear anything from inside, but that didn't mean she wasn't in there. Making a swift decision, Martin set a tiny box down in front of her door and tapped on the wood gently.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," he said softly, "but I'd like it if you were my partner. Happy birthday, Diana."

Inside the room, Diana lay on her bed with her face buried in the pillow. Long after her step–brother's footsteps had retreated, she remained still. Only when the sound of her parents' car arriving came in through her window did she move. She went over to the door and opened it slowly after taking a deep breath. Her feelings were in a confused muddle as she stepped into the hallway. Her foot hit something and she glanced down, startled.

The small box was covered in shiny silver paper with an adorable lilac ribbon. Touched, she instinctively unwrapped the box, then pulled the top off. Two lavender hair clips, one decorated with a warm yellow star, the other with a blush pink flower, were revealed to her softening gaze.

"Martin..." Sighing, Diana retreated into her room. Standing before her vanity, she pulled her ribbon out of her hair, then brushed the long auburn locks. Then, she pinned several strands back with the clips and smiled at her reflection.

Martin Mystery could be a real insensitive jerk sometimes, she thought. In the next few weeks, she would make him suffer for missing her party and for withholding his actions at the Center. But, of course, all this wouldn't matter because in the end, she would accept the job offer. _Someone _had to be present to make sure that he behaved himself. It would be an irritating job, but Diana knew that she would be happy to do it.

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I know that this wasn't the continuance some of you may have been expecting, but I like picking out the important scenes, as if someone is looking through a photo album. Please review. .


	3. Chocolate Cake

**Chapter Three: **Chocolate Cake

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I don't own Martin Mystery and all of the characters associated with it.

**Additional Notes:** Because so many encouraged me to continue, I have. Reviews really do help an author write, and I thank all of mine for taking the time to drop me a line. It means more to me than you can imagine! Also, think of this chapter as taking place shortly after Marvin's arrival at the school.

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_And I'd give up forever to touch you,  
'Cause I know that you feel me some how.  
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be,  
And I don't want to go home right now._

And all I can taste is this moment,  
And all I can breathe is your life,  
And sooner or later it's over,  
I just don't want to miss you tonight.

**Goo Goo Dolls_ – Iris_**

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**_

School was boring. Everyone who was anyone with the least bit of sense knew that. It was a viable torture chamber, designed to stunt creativity and silence oppression. It was annoying, tedious, seemed to last forever, and to top it all off, required getting up _early_ to attend, which could put a serious cramp in video game sessions. And that was just school by itself.

When one was forced to watch very much against their will something that they considered 'their's' become progressively close to not being 'their's', one reacted... well... one reacted the way Martin Mystery did whenever his partner gushed about the newest student at Torrington Academy, Marvin Storms.

"He's just such a jerk," Martin commented, glowering at the aforementioned boy. He folded his arms and leaned against the locker, inwardly pouting. "I don't see what the big attraction is, Di."

Diana Lombard flashed him an amused look and brushed strands of her auburn hair out of her face. She slammed her locker door shut and slipped a book into her already loaded bag. "Of course you don't. If you did, girls wouldn't run the opposite way every time they see you."

"They do _not_ run away from me!" came the speedy, indignant reply. Martin paused, inadvertently recalling a few memories, and frowned. "At least... not all of the time, anyway."

Seconds away from delivering a scathing remark about how any girls with sense fled and thus ensuing a bantering war that would last a good fifteen minutes, Diana promptly forgot what she was about to say in favor of staring out the window. Specifically, staring at Marvin as he gazed in her direction and smiled brilliantly, lifting one hand in a slight wave. She melted with a sweet sigh, idly waving back as she gazed at the teen with a positively adoring expression.

Martin rolled his eyes with a disgusted groan and snapped his fingers in front of her face. When she failed to respond, he stalked away in frustration, heading for the cafeteria. Diana was supposed to be joining him, but he was quite sure that she wouldn't even realize that he had left. She was so wrapped up in the amazing Marvin performing yet another amazing stunt that she wouldn't even notice if creatures from the Azawinian galaxy started bombing Torrington!

Just what _was _so amazing about Marvin, anyway? Sure, the guy had golden blonde hair that was combed just enough to avoid being sloppy and large, dark blue eyes that seemed to mesmerize females. Okay, so he had starred in an exciting comic and not only knew, but was good at, all sorts of outdoor sports. And he was (according to a group of gossiping girls overhead earlier) an incredible kisser. So _what_ if the guy was concerned about things like the environment and got straight A's to boot?

Not one of those things gave Marvin the right to make Diana swoon. Not one. It was nauseating the way she and other girls would gush when he did something, and what was even more disgusting was the way Marvin seemed totally oblivious to Diana's admiration. How could he be so... so wasteful?

If Martin were in Marvin's shoes… except he wasn't, which was the problem. Martin had never questioned his relationship with his step-sister for fear of what those questions would reveal. He had always been content to be in a platonic relationship with Diana, so long as _he_ remained the center of her life.

Of course, that wasn't to say that he wasn't the long-term center at the moment, but even the temporary switch to Marvin made Martin feel like a porcupine had crawled inside of him and was stabbing him with its quills. A more intuitive person would say that he was jealous, but he wasn't. He_ wasn't_.

Because when you got right down to it, there was nothing for him to be jealous about. And that's exactly why he was so bothered.

"Not that it would make a difference even if there was something between us," he mumbled out loud. "Di would be way too absorbed in that jerk to even notice!"

"Martin jealous," offered Java, plunking a grilled chicken breast down on his plate at the same time.

Apparently, cave men are intuitive. Who knew?

"I am not!" Martin exclaimed quickly and defensively. "What do I have to be jealous about? I can do lots of things better than Marvin!"

Snatching his tray off of the counter, he walked away with his head held high. He plunked his tray down at the nearest table and plopped down into the seat with a depressed sigh. Yes, he could do lots of things better than Marvin, but Marvin kept winning the one girl who mattered.

The other sole occupant of the table eyed him warily as he began to drown his sorrows in chicken and fries. "What's the matter with you?" Jenny asked after a pause, praying she would not regret asking and hoping that she wasn't about to get hit on. She really didn't feel like stomping away in a fit of rage just then.

"_I am not jealous of Marvin_," Martin gritted out between bites of chicken, his hazel eyes sparking.

Comprehension dawned in Jenny's eyes, and she leaned forward in her chair in a speculative manner. "Of course you're not," she drawled, tapping her fingers on the table. "And it wouldn't bother you at all that Marvin just bent Diana over backwards and kissed her passionately..."

"_What_?" Martin whipped around so fast he heard the bones in his neck creak, searching for signs of the couple. "Where? Where?"

Jenny suppressed the giggle that bubbled up in her throat. "Chill, Martin. I was just joking," she explained, examining him closely. The sheer aura of unhappiness that permeated the air around him caused her to have a rare moment of sympathy for the normally irritating boy. "Martin, if the attention Diana gives Marvin bugs you so much, why don't you just talk to her about it?"

"Oh, yeah," groused Martin, rapidly devouring the remainder of his lunch. "Like that would go over real well."

Tugging aimlessly at one strawberry blonde curl, Jenny could not help the grin that appeared on her face. Clearly, Martin was completely oblivious to the reason that Diana was so enamored with Marvin. It was cute in a pathetic way, but she couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him. No matter how much Martin annoyed her with his constant asking for a date, she considered him to be an overall good person and believed that he didn't deserve to suffer.

"Well, I'm not quite sure what to tell you," she began, rising. She slung her bookbag over her shoulder and picked up her tray while giving him a kind look. "But I do have one question for you, and it's this: did it ever occur to you that the reason Diana likes Marvin so much is that he reminds her of you?"

Mouth agape, Martin watched as the slender teen sauntered away, tossing out several waves as she went. He remained speechless for several seconds, unable to comprehend the magnitude of Jenny's question.

Diana... liked Marvin because he reminded her of him? Martin could hardly wrap his mind around it. It seemed too incredible to be true. If so, did that mean that Diana liked... _him_, in spite of all the mushy looks she gave Marvin?

Resting his head on the table, Martin tried to work this out in his mind. It was an undeniable fact that he cared deeply for his beautiful step-sister and vice versa, but he had always naturally assumed that Diana's feelings were of the platonic nature. She had never offered any indication that she might feel for him in a more sexual nature, so he had never considered it.

Then again, he too, had always been subconsciously careful to keep his own actions as those of a sibling would. The few dreams he had had of her had seemed so frighteningly right, but wrong at the same time. Yet the two of them were not related by blood, so was it really wrong? Did that even matter?

A long, slow sigh forced its way out of his mouth as he closed his eyes. It seemed he could go no further until he found out how Diana truly felt, but part of him was still afraid that she was really in love with Marvin and that Jenny was wrong.

"There you are! I've been looking all over the place for you. Why did you just leave me there?" Diana set her tray down on the table and seated herself, giving him an impatient look. "Why didn't you wait? We always eat lunch together."

"Ah, I thought maybe you and Marvin had plans," Martin said, snapping out of his daze. He blinked as a slice of chocolate cake was placed in front of him.

"No, we didn't," she said, a slightly puzzled look on her face as he dug into the cake. Glancing away for a moment, Diana caught Jenny's eye and arched her eyebrows questioningly. Jenny replied with a wink, to which Diana blushed slightly as she wondered what her friend had said to her step-brother. She had seen Jenny leaving the table, but had thought nothing of it until she saw Martin's unusually pensive state.

"... Di?" asked Martin, having taken the majority of the time it took Diana to eat to dredge up his courage. "How come you like Marvin?"

Diana lifted her head and looked at him seriously for a minute without speaking. Her emerald eyes were searching, then soft as she smiled and extended her hand. Surprised, Martin gave laid his hand in hers without even thinking about it. When she stood up, he did as well.

"I like Marvin because he is my friend," Diana told him, "but he is only a bare shadow to the person I am in love with."

Before she could loose her nerve, she kissed Martin on the cheek. It was a brief, fleeting kiss, lasting only a minute, but it was enough to send a wave of warmth spiraling through them both. Her face now crimson, Diana backed off from her partner, grabbed her bag and left the room hurriedly without looking behind.

Martin remained still, shocked but giddy, completely oblivious to the curious stares he was getting from the other students. Slowly, he brushed his cheek where Diana's lips had been only seconds earlier. She had kissed him before, but it had never provoked a reaction like _this_.

Picking up his own bag, he strolled towards the door, not even trying to hide the enormous grin on his face. Maybe Marvin hadn't won the most important thing after all...

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I almost put an actual kiss in, but then I decided that it would be moving things too quickly. Please leave me a review!


	4. Circle and Square

**Chapter Three: **Circle and Square

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I don't own Martin Mystery and all of the characters associated with it. I also do not own the songs used in this story.

**Additional Notes:** Aaah, finally. The chapter with the girl who actually inspired me to write this story! I was also disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Diana's reaction to Martin's relationship with Caitlin. I know she never seemed overly concerned about Jenny, but Caitlin returned Martin's feelings and their relationship seemed like it could have gone somewhere. Thankfully it didn't, but I always thought that Diana's control would break if she thought it might.

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_Who's that girl? Where's she from?  
No, she can't be the one that you want  
That has stolen my world  
It's not real, tt's not right  
It's my day, tt's my night  
By the way, who's that girl?  
Living my life_

Seems like everything's the same around here  
When I look again and everything has changed  
I'm not dreaming so I don't know why  
She's everywhere I wanna be

Hilary Duff – Who's That Girl

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'_Hmm, let's see. If I move this number here and then calculate the answer... But that still doesn't give me an answer similar to the one in the book..._' Diana Lombard tapped her pencil against her chin, her forehead creased in thought as she mused out the puzzling question in her science textbook.

"Yes! Alright, Martin! Way to go! You're almost there!"

Her mouth twitching and her grip tightening on the innocent writing instrument in her hand, Diana made a monumental effort to ignore the sounds of raucous laughter that came easily through her walls. Each high-pitched shriek from the video game made her stiffen further, until her knuckles had faded to white.

"Go Caitlin! Turn, turn, turn! Jump! Kick! Yeeeeeeeeeees!"

The volume of the game increased to the point where all that could be made out was a continuous stream of garbled howls. Diana didn't even realize that the force of her grip had snapped the wooden pencil neatly in two until she felt the sharp, jagged edges digging into her soft skin.

"Jump, jump! JUMP! Nooooooooo!"

The combined wails pushed her over the edge that she had been teetering on for nearly eleven days. In one fluid movement, she had her small purple backpack in hand and was stalking out of her bedroom. The sight of her step-brother and his girlfriend curled up together on the couch laughing only served to spike her anger to dangerously irrational levels.

Feeling the hotness of the emerald gaze smoldering against his blonde hair, Martin Mystery stopped laughing as immediately as if someone had flipped a switch. He received a bewildered glance from the girl beside him as he swallowed hard, his face just to the right of an ashen color.

"Hey, Di," he offered almost silently, turning his head slowly. He met the eyes of his sibling and flinched slightly. "Did we... er... disturb you?"

"Oh! Hello, Diana," chirped the violet-haired imp at his side. She smiled, her face lighting up with an unperceived kindness. "Did we? I'm sorry. Do you want to join us for some video games?"

"No. I'm going out," Diana responded shortly, striding past them before she had even fully registered the question. She faltered at the door and glanced over her shoulder, trying for a smile. "Don't tear the place up."

Although she had meant for her tone to be lighthearted, it came out a touch too violently to be anything near. She derived a few seconds of satisfaction from their shocked expressions, then without further word, she exited the room. It took every last bit of her reserves to not slam the door with all of the strength in her slender frame.

The halls of Torrington Academy were mostly devoid of any students or teachers. It was late afternoon on a warm Saturday, and the vast majority of people were out enjoying the weather. For this reason, Diana was able to move freely down the corridor at a pace normally forbidden at a school. Her footsteps pounded the tilted floor, a musical sideshow to the rising bitterness in her heart.

Diana was at the main staircase of the building before a lack of oxygen forced her to stop. She propped herself up against the railing and breathed heavily, her muscles quivering as she forced air into and out of her lungs at an alarming rate.

It was about that time that Diana fully realized that she was weeping, and a low, shuddering moan made its way of her throat and into existence. Clutching onto the polished rail, she lowered herself onto the carpeted stairs and rested her head on her knees. Her shoulders trembled with repressed sobs.

Caitlin. The girl seemed to be sweet and mischievous, with an obsession for video games and horror movies. She was intelligent and swift, with a cute laugh and a killer body. In short, she was the female version of Martin, and thus a perfect match for him in every way.

Diana _hated_ her.

There was no getting around that fact. She detested the girl with every fiber of her being. It made her feel physically ill to spend time around that girl. Often, it took sheer will to keep from sending her fist into that adorable face.

Martin appeared to be cheerfully oblivious to his step-sister's emotions, for he insisted on spending time with both of them at the same time. What he didn't seem to realize was that he was trying to force together a circle and a square – two pieces that would never completely mesh.

Of course, following this line of logic, that should have meant that Diana couldn't fit with him, either. But for reasons that she didn't have the strength to examine closely, she _did_ mesh with him. Martin was like the part of her that she didn't have within her. He was an extension to her own form in whatever actions they performed.

"Oh god," Diana whispered, roughly tugging her fingers through her auburn hair. The pain that came from the few tangles was welcomed, for it helped to return her to some semblance of reality.

It was positively ludicrous that she, a sibling, would be so jealous of a girlfriend, especially when she had never minded Martin's attempts to catch Jenny's attention. Yet, she was. The sheer depth of her jealousy was almost frightening; it was a bottomless lake that she was fighting to stay above the surface in.

She honestly felt that this feeling was out of her hands and that she couldn't control it. It was just there, even when Caitlin was simply in the room, but especially when she was touching Martin in some way.

They had kissed once. She had been heading for Martin's room so that they could work on a project for school together when she caught sight of the two of them standing outside his door. Unfortunately, she had been at too much of a distance to innocently overhear their conversation, but there was nothing wrong with her eyesight.

The memory of Martin and Caitlin embracing and sharing a warm kiss was enraging and crushing at the same time. At the time, she had been too shocked to do anything but beat a hasty retreat to her room, where her tears had dampened her pillows until the light of dawn filtered through her curtains. She had given Martin a flimsy excuse the next day about not showing up while struggling to restrain her grief.

Her recollection of the event was pierced by a powerful pain in her hand. Dazed, she struggled to see past the tears fogging her eyes. The visible dent in the carpet, as well as the rapidly forming bruise on her knuckles, told the story – without consciously realizing it, she had slammed her fist down into the floor.

"That was smart," she muttered to herself, tasting the salt on her lips. She swiped at her eyes with the hand that didn't hurt, smearing the sticky liquid across her cheeks as she sniffed, feeling immensely pathetic.

"Diana?"

Her heart jumped in her chest at the same time that a vice tightened around it, resulting in a strange, almost nauseating sensation. She scrambled to her feet without thinking about where she was, mind fumbling for excuses, and was too tired to be surprised when her feet went out from underneath her.

Martin leapt forward and caught the shoulder of her shirt with the tips of his fingers. He dragged her backward with such force that her body fell in the opposite direction. Apparently, he wasn't prepared for this, because her weight sent him down backwards onto the stairs in a half sitting, half lying position with a muffled crash.

"Well, that didn't go as planned," he joked, shifting beneath her. "Ouch. Why are these floors so hard?"

Diana didn't respond. Her cheeks were scarlet as she tried to get to her feet, but the way they had landed made this difficult and her step-brother wasn't helping. "Martin, let go!" she cried, shoving at his shoulders.

"Hey, wait a minute, Di. What's the matter with you?" Martin caught and held her wrists in his, preventing her from getting away. "First you act all weird in the room, and now you almost killed yourself falling down the stairs. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," she snapped, struggling to wrench herself away. "Why don't you go back to your _girlfriend_?"

The sheer amount of venomous pain in her voice startled them both, and Martin took the opportunity to yank her flush against him. She ended up on her knees on the stair below him, resting against him between his spread legs. His arms encircled her shoulders in a fierce embrace with his chin resting on her hair.

She could have pulled away, but suddenly all of her strength was gone. Diana rested all of her weight against him as tears spilled down her cheeks. How out-of-control her emotions were was disturbing to her, but she seemed to have lost the ability to make her feelings act reasonably.

"Di, is this about Caitlin?" Martin asked quietly, his lips barely moving against her lavender-scented curls. He pressed his face into the auburn locks for a moment, waiting for her answer.

What he received was a hushed sob and a barely discernible nod. Martin gathered her slender, shaking form close and rocked her gently, stroking her back in a comforting manner. Some very unwelcome realizations were coming to fruit in his mind.

After several minutes of silence but for Diana's crying, during which the shadows in the hall lengthened and deepened as night came forth, she drew away from his comforting presence. Filled with an indeterminable awkwardness, she carefully avoided his eyes as she rubbed the remaining tears away.

"Di," he began, and paused to pull her eyes to meet his. "Di, I really like Caitlin. But you, well, you're you, Di. I couldn't do the things that I do without you. If you dislike her so much, I wish you would have said something."

A mutual, unspoken understanding passed between them in that moment, composed of the knowledge of just why Diana hated his girlfriend. His speech and her anger were the closest either had ever come to admitting that ever-present, strengthening emotion that existed between them.

Martin edged forward, intending to press a kiss to her forehead. Instead, and later he would swear that it was completely accidental to Diana's teasing laughter, his mouth found her lips in a kiss that was so cool and sweet that both wondered if it had been imagined.

They pulled back at the same time, looking away from one another. Their eyes met once more, and another, equally soft kiss was exchanged before reality could catch up with them. For a moment, their life was in balance.

Unnoticed by both, a shadow with violet hair and eyes slipped back around the corner and strode away. The only sign it had ever been there were the two teardrops on the rapidly drying wood.

Exactly two days later, when Caitlin dumped Martin, Diana couldn't even bring herself to feel sorry for the relationship that had ended before it truly began.

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Please leave a review. They help me kick out chapters more quickly.


	5. May I?

**Chapter Five:** May I?

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I don't own Martin Mystery and all of the characters associated with it.

**Additional Notes:** This chapter came from my own thoughts about what Martin would do if he thought Diana was going to leave. Diana is, as we all know, a very smart girl, so it doesn't seem far-fetched to think she might get this opportunity. Some of you might consider Martin a little out of character, but the closer he comes to realizing he loves Diana, the more grown up he becomes. The end of this chapter was inspired by the song lyrics at the beginning. While searching for a song midway through, I came upon this one and thought it would be absolutely perfect.

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_Tomorrow will come  
It's time to realize  
Our love is finished forever  
How I wish to come with you  
How I wish we make it through _

Just one last dance  
Before we say goodbye  
When we sway and turn around, around, around  
It's like the first time  
Just one more chance  
Hold me tight and keep me warm  
Cause the night is getting cold  
And I don't know where I belong  
Just one last dance

Sarah Connor – Just One Last Dance

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Diana Lombard had been one of the best students at Torrington Academy since the day she had arrived. She was both smart with the books and naturally intelligent, with a quick wit and flare for the unknown. Not only was she also organized and punctual, she was helpful, kind and a stunning example of beauty to boot. Even her somewhat frequent, unexplainable disappearences didn't distort her impressive record.

Maybe he should use the Center equipment in his room to break in and change all of her grades so that the offer would be retracted. But no, that wouldn't be fair to Diana, who really did work hard for her marks, even when they had work to do for the Center. Besides, then she would cry, and he _hated_ it when she cried.

Plus if she ever found out, she'd murder him in the most painful way she could think of, and her imagination was very vivid.

On some level, Martin guessed he should have seen it coming. No school with any sense would have wanted to let such a stellar student get away without comment. Allowing phenomenal students to get away wasn't how you got things like grant money and recognition, which was what every decent school aimed for. But honestly, who gave them the right to choose her?

"I just can't believe it," Diana gushed for the fourteenth time, rocking from side to side. Her emerald eyes glowed dreamily as she clutched the white sheet of paper to her chest.

"It's pretty spectacular alright," muttered her step-brother, leaning closer to the computer as he frantically pushed the buttons on the controller.

"I mean, who would have thought that they would want _me_ of all people?" asked Diana blissfully, looking as if she might begin spinning around the room at any minute. "Sometimes I almost have to pinch myself to be sure it's real!"

"What's so special about this school, anyway?" Martin demanded at last, rocking back and forth in the chair in a pantomime of his character's actions.

"It's only one of the best schools I've ever heard of," she responded in an excited voice, seeming not to notice his irritation. "They have an awesome math and science program that can get you into almost any medical school. They're held in prestigous standing by nearly every university there is. They're always in the top five when it comes to art compeitions and sports!"

"You don't even like sports," he snapped, but his comment was either unheard or simply ignored in the glow of her joy.

"I have to go call Mom and Dad and tell them!" Diana was out of the room before she had even finished her sentence. "I'll see you at the dance!"

Her last words echoed into the room. The door hung open in her wake, allowing the sounds of the students whose lives were most likely not falling apart to filter into the dimly lit room. Suddenly angered at those who could continue in relative peace, he got to his feet and slammed the door shut so hard it bounced in the frame before the latch caught.

It wasn't that he wasn't happy for her, because really, he was. Diana deserved this opportunity and more. Even as a little girl, she had always been a bright, vivacious student who was destined to go far.

He just wished that she didn't have to go _Europe_-far.

Sighing, Martin switched off his computer as his character died for the sixty-fifth time. It had been difficult to concentrate while Diana was near in such a state of euphoria. He enjoyed watching her in all kinds of moods, but this was one he just couldn't appreciate.

The dance. He and Diana had often gone to dances together as they grew up, mostly because he was rejected by every girl he asked and Diana had the habit of turning guys down. Although he didn't know how Diana felt about it, he had always loved attending the dances with her. It allowed him to pretend that he had formally asked her and she had accepted.

Would this be last time he danced with Diana?

His breath hitched at the thought as pain ignited in his chest. The thought was too horrible to contemplate. He couldn't imagine what life would be like without Diana. The mere notion was enough to cause tears to sting at his eyes.

Part of him wanted to beg Diana not to leave, but pushed it down, because he knew that he couldn't do that to her. She was so deliriously happy about the offer, and it really was a good one. The school would be able to take her places that Torrington couldn't even begin to approach.

He wasn't even sure if she would stay if he asked. Diana had always regarded their work at the Center as something of a hobby. He was pretty positive that she planned on having a different job for the future, whereas he could picture himself at the Center twenty years down the road.

Perhaps it was for the best. If she remained, he would have to watch her meet some guy and fall in love with him. Then they would get married and have children, and he would have a bunch of little kids running around calling him 'Uncle Martin' while... while what?

What would he do when Diana met someone she loved? He certainly hadn't handled the whole 'Marvin' thing well, and Marvin had never offered even a hint of returning her crush. It would kill him inside to have to watch be happy in the arms of someone else.

Would it better to handle if she was far away? He could always make up some excuse to not attend the wedding. Surely, Diana would remain in Europe to live with her husband. Their visits would be few and far between, and he could pretend that he had money issues to avoid visiting them. Yes, it really would be better if Diana left.

"If I really l… _care_ about her, I should let her go," he said out loud, and nodded convincingly. "She deserves this. I won't say or act anything to the contrary."

His mind made up, he leaned over and switched the computer on. If Diana was going to be leaving, he had better start distancing himself from her now. Maybe he should even ask M.O.M. for a new partner. Diana wouldn't continue on missions, anyhow – she would be busy getting ready to leave.

The game's music began, a high-pitched jingle that normally got him excited and raring to play. This night, however, he picked up the controller and began to play half-heartedly. He pretended not to notice when the start time of the dance came and went, and blamed the tension in his movements on the late hour.

His character had just rolled down a hill into the snake pit when the door behind him slammed open. Startled, Martin spun around. He barely had time to realize that the intruder was Jenny before she was standing before him. Her hand came down and struck his cheek, snapping his face to the side.

"Jenny?" he questioned in a low voice, one hand lightly carressing the place where had slapped him. The spot ached dully as the skin began to bruise.

Jenny turned blazing eyes on him. "What is the matter with you?" she practically screamed. "Why are you just sitting here?"

"I didn't feel like dancing tonight," he lied, glancing back at the computer as the game re-started. He pushed the start button to begin again and watched blankly as his character danced across the screen.

"Liar," Jenny accused, and even though it was true, he found himself glaring at her. "Are you going to sit there and do nothing? What is the matter with you? Diana is waiting."

A brief pain flared up in chest, and he turned away pointedly. "There are other guys for her to dance with," he responded, tapping the button to make his character jump. "She won't be bored."

"Didn't it even occur to you that she doesn't want another guy?" Jenny asked, and her voice was quiet with anguish. "She's going to _leave_, Martin, unless you give her a reason to stay. I can't understand why you're not there – I thought you loved her."

The word 'love' caused his hands to freeze up. As the game emitted the sound that meant you had died, Jenny gave a choked sob, spun on her heel and fled the room, leaving him staring at the screen with mixed emotions.

Martin found himself at his closet choosing his clothing. The dance was a semi-formal affair, as the majority of Torrington Academy's dances were, so he choose a pair of tan slacks and a white dress shirt and laid them out on his bed.

One dance wouldn't hurt, would it? He could handle one dance. It would be a dance to say good-bye – it wouldn't be right to let Diana go without one last dance. This was okay.

Retreating to the bathroom, he turned the water on as hot as he figured he could stand it before he climbed in. His skin immediately began to redden, but he didn't care. The overwhelming heat felt good, and if any salty liquid spilled from his eyes, he blamed it on the force of the shower.

As he buttoned the shirt, he couldn't deny the heaviness that was present in his chest. He pulled a comb through his hair, pushing the blonde locks into a somewhat neat style, looking at his reflection as he did so. The boy in the mirror seemed empty.

He left his room quickly, not bothering to lock the door behind him. His pace was hurried, although he made a conscious effort to slow down as he emerged into the cool night air and turned towards the gym. There were no others students around; they were all at the dance already.

The table at the door where people sat to take tickets had been abandoned, the occupants having escaped into the dance when the draw of music became too much to take. He was relieved; he hadn't brought his wallet with him and that was where his ticket was.

Pushing open the door slightly, Martin peeked in. The room was packed with students and teachers alike. He slipped in and eased the door shut, although even if he had shut it forcibly it wouldn't have been heard of the sound of the music. He stayed near the wall as he circled the room, searching for Diana.

When he spotted her, he paused for a moment to drink her in. She was dressed in a short, pleated, lavender mini-skirt, white, high-heeled sandals and a lavender-and-white halter top. Her auburn hair was piled on top of her head in a complicated twist. It was such an un-Diana-like outfit that he knew that it must have taken Jenny a good hour to bribe her into it.

Her emerald eyes were fixed on the ground, but as he approached, she glanced up. Her whole face lit up when she saw him, the vibrant emerald orbs shining. He couldn't stop the smile on his face from emerging as he held his hand out to her.

"May I have this dance?" he asked quietly as the music settled into a soothing, slower pace.

Her smaller hand settled into his, and she stepped closer to him. Awkwardly, he placed one hand on her hip as she laid hers on his arm. He stepped backward and she stepped forwards, and the dance began.

"I thought you were going to come," she said softly, her gaze pinning him.

"I wasn't going to," he told her, the honesty in his own voice surprising him. A well of words rose up inside of him – don't leave me, I need you here, please stay with me, I'll give you anything you want, Diana... His ability to keep silent surprised him even more.

Diana glanced away from him. "I would have been upset if you hadn't come," she admitted, and then her eyes flicked up, landing on his cheek. "What happened?"

"I tripped," he said. It was the second lie had had spoken out loud that night, but she nodded, accepting it nonetheless.

There was silence between them for a long time, in which he spun her around and thought about how much he would miss her when she was gone. His earlier convictions that it would be better if she left had fled the minute he wrapped his arms around her. He needed her more than anything else; if she left, it would kill him and he would be happy to die.

"I'm not accepting the offer," her voice murmured, and he stared at her in wonderment as they came to a stop in the sea of dancers.

"What?" he whispered, sure that he had misheard.

"I'm not going," she repeated, louder, her eyes locked on his. "I never was. I was happy to get the offer, but..." Her voice trailed off.

Something was happening to him. The heavy weight in his chest dissolved into a perpetual lightness, and a sweet melody, as beautiful as her words had been, filled his ears as he gazed into her eyes. A wave of the strongest emotion he had ever felt – stronger than he had ever thought possible to feel – surrounded him, embracing him as he did her.

"Diana," Martin said then, his voice barely legible over the music, his crimson eyes clear for the first time in days, "Diana, I – "

Her finger over his lips stopped him. He paused in speaking, startled, as her emerald eyes softened into an exquisite pool of green water. She smiled at him, and her hand touched his cheek. That emotion rose up again as he kissed the finger against his lips. Her mouth opened slightly in shock, but then a smile blossomed and she shone like a radiant flower in the sunlight.

He didn't have to say it to her just then.

She knew.

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And that takes care of this chapter. Please review and tell me what you thought!


	6. Worthwhile

**Chapter Six:** Worthwhile  
**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I don't own Martin Mystery and all of the characters associated with it. I do own Elizabeth.  
**Additional Notes:** Just so we're all on the same page... **Martin and Diana are stepsiblings in such that they do not share the same parents and they are unrelated**. I think some people were getting confused about that, so I figured I better clarify it before anyone reads this chapter. Now, on the subject, this chapter is pretty dramatic. It came up from where, I'm not sure. I hope Diana doesn't seem too strange in it. I'm worried about her being out of character, but I really wanted the chance to show her more "woman scorned" kind of side. I don't believe the series gives her enough credit in that way; plus, you hardly ever see the girl scheming to get her claws into the guy in this show.

_'BLAH'_ is Diana thinking.

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_I love you, I hate you  
I can't get around you.  
I breathe you, I taste you  
I can't live without you.  
I just can't take anymore  
This life of solitude  
I guess that I'm out the door  
And now I'm done with you.  
I left my head around your heart,  
Why would you tear my world apart?_  
Saliva – Always

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It wasn't that she hadn't been happy to see him. Because she was. No, really! Sure, most students (even boarding school students) would have been about as happy to see their parents show up at their school as they would have to see a teacher come into the classroom wearing a sadistic smile. But she was actually glad to see her father, because they didn't get to very often, and a visit from him was always nice.

But _where the hell_ did Gerard get off bringing company with him?

Diana Lombard tried for a smileas the door opened and failed. The most she could come up with was an awkward sort of grimace that looked as if she were undergoing surgery as she watched her stepbrother openly flirt with _her_ childhood friend.

Gah. What disgusting words.

'_Childhood friend my foot_._ Was she always such a slut?'_

A scowl darkened her normally kind emerald eyes as the other girl threw her head back and laughed in a soft voice, her long, honey brown curls glossing in the sunlight. Several boys turned to stare at her with longing – one walked into a tree, he was so absorbed – as the girl attached herself to Martin with an utterly adoring gaze.

"Ah, Diana, here you are," Gerard said with a touch of pride as he entered the room. He had just come from an utterly glowing report from the principal about what a wonderful student Diana was. "Diana?"

Approaching the still silent girl, he peered out the window to see what she was staring so intently at. A broad smile crossed his face when he spotted the two below. When Elizabeth had requested to visit Torrington Academy with him, Vivian had been a bit unsure as to whether or not Diana would want to see her – after all, the two of them hadn't seen each other in years – but had sent her along with him anyhow.

Surprisingly, it had been Martin who had taken a real shine to the girl, much to Gerard's puzzlement. Elizabeth had seemed like a prissy sort of girl, the kind who _doesn't_ like being called 'Lizzie' or 'Liz'. But she appeared to love being with Martin, and now he was wondering if perhaps his son had found "the one".

It took every last bit of Diana's patience to not put her fist through the wall when he spoke this thought out loud.

"The _one_?" she spat out, kind of bitterly, the words ringing in her ears. Below, Martin and Elizabeth began to walk towards the dorm. Maybe she _should_ punch the wall, if only to get it out of her system before her former friend came into the room...

If Gerard heard the rage in her voice, he didn't comment on it. Instead, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and nodded. "I've wondered for a long time the kind of girl who would compliment Martin," he mused. "I never thought someone like Elizabeth would be that type..."

'_She's not. It's me. Me. ME._'

The door swung open and the pair tumbled in, flushed and laughing. The sight of them spiked her emotions to insane levels. Martin didn't seem to notice the turmoil in her eyes as he placed an arm around Elizabeth's waist for balance. The girl simply giggled as they staggered together, her sea blue eyes cheerful, and grabbed onto the door frame.

'_Why do you do this to me?_'

Her father fairly beamed at them, looking so happy that she almost threw up. Energetically, he suggested that the four of them go out for dinner… his treat, of course, in a not-so-silent celebration of what he was clearly beginning to hope was the forever kind of relationship. She died inside when Martin and Elizabeth nodded energetically. Three sets of eyes looked at her expectantly. She hated them all at that moment.

'_I thought you loved me._'

The familiar sound of the Center watch resounded throughout the room. Martin and Elizabeth (she hated the way the names sounded together) started at the same time, reflexitively checking the room for the blue glowing portal. Then they looked at each other in shock. She knew it before anyone else did and fell apart on the inside. It couldn't be.

'_Why do I feel like someone you keep around just in case?_'

"Are you...?" Elizabeth asked, sounding startled but happy.

"... Are you?" Martin said back, somehow sounding a touch less happy.

"I am!" she fairly cried, throwing her arms his neck in a hug. "I can't believe it! To have found someone else… how wonderful!"

'_Goddamn slut..._'

"Sorry, Dad, I guess we're going to have to cancel on dinner," Martin told his father, looking apologetic. "Duty calls, after all!"

"That's okay, son," Gerard replied. He glanced at Diana. "Would you like to stay behind and keep me company?"

'_Do I want to give them time alone, you mean?_'

Martin looked at her as well, but for possibly the first time in her life, she couldn't read the expression in his crimson eyes. His smile said absolutely nothing. It was a completely blank slate to her, and that scared her. She couldn't have possibly lost him in so short of a time, could she? It just wasn't fair! It couldn't be! Several years to the span of a fortnight... how short a time for a lifetime to collapse into nothing around her.

'_Talk to me! I need you!_'

"I think that's a great idea," Elizabeth said pleasantly, but her eyes were cold. "I've never worked with a boy before, and M.O.M. is always telling me about the need for diversity in partners. According to her, it helps us grow as agents, so we'll get extra bonus points and Diana will get a day off. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Again, Martin glanced at Diana, but this time his eyes were narrowed. He was trying to see into her, she realized, and strained to make herself open up. But she couldn't force her feelings into her eyes when she didn't even know what those feelings were, and when Martin turned away, she knew he didn't know any more than she had gotten from her.

'_Just tell her that you need me with you!_'

"Okay," he muttered, dropping his arm from Elizabeth's waist. "Sure."

Diana wondered how many times a person could die, and wondered how many more Martin would subject her to. She should have spoken up, should have told the obviously gloating Elizabeth where to put it. What had she ever seen in that girl, anyway? No wonder the girl had never had any other female friends – other girls had the sense to stay the hell away less this tramp move in on their territory.

'_Why don't _you_ say anything?_'

"I'd like to talk to you for a minute before you go, Martin," Gerard broke in, moving past the two to the door of the hallway. Martin followed in silence.

"He's really yummy, you know," Elizabeth said smugly the second the door had shut. "I can't believe other girls haven't moved in yet." When she got no response, she continued. "This Jenny girl told me that Martin belonged to you... but she must have been joking. You are _siblings_, after all," she added tauntingly.

'_You.._'

"We're _step_siblings," Diana said, unclenching her jaw enough to speak. Her hands ached from being clenched into fists. "We're not _related_."

"Yes, but it's still _so_ wrong, don't you think? Illegal, too," responded Elizabeth. She strolled over to Diana's dresser and picked up a brush, running it through her hair. In the mirror, she smirked patronizingly. "I could see being married to Martin."

That was it, it was more than she could take, this threat of _her position in life_ was official. Just as she gleefully imagined wrapping her hands around that slender white neck and squeezing until the plump rosy cheeks turned blue, the door opened back up and Gerard and Martin came in.

'_Bad timing... like father, like son._'

The two of them left swiftly through her underwear drawer. After they were gone, Gerard put his hand on the doorknob. "I think I'll take a raincheck on our dinner, honey," he said. "I'm a little tired."

He shut the door behind him just as an enraged shriek burst from her throat. She was sick to _death_ of ploys and plots and plans. Striding over to the dresser, she seized the brush and slapped it against the mirror, picturing the smirking expression she had seen in it moments before, hitting the reflective surface harder and harder until splintering cracks began to form and spread.

'_Stupid... little... I'll show you..._'

She was gasping for breath and crying and shouting all at the same time. Two weeks of watching Elizabeth smile and twitter and float around Martin were more than she could take, especially when she couldn't do anything about it. One time, she had tried to approach Martin, but he had brushed her off and told her that she was just having an overactive imagination because he wasn't interested in Elizabeth.

"I HATE YOU," Diana screamed as loud as she could, squeezing her eyes shut to quell the burn of tears, because she didn't know if was talking about Martin or Elizabeth or maybe even both.

The glass shattered, slicing her tender skin. She barely felt the pain as her pale flesh opened, allowing crimson beads to trickle down her body. Choking, she hurtled the brush onto the dresser, revolving to burn it at the first opportunity. Staggering towards her bed, she collapsed onto it, ignoring the blood that stained the worn comforter.

She buried her head into her pillow and wept quietly, her shoulders trembling. Most of her dreams for the future included being with Martin in some way, but none of them included a wife that wasn't her. It would drive her insane to watch him be with someone else; two weeks had pushed her to the edge.

'_Love me, damnit... like I love you..._'

She wasn't even aware of falling asleep, but literally the next thing she knew, someone was shaking her by the shoulders and shouting her name. The loud voice made her head hurt even more, and the movement made the stinging on her arms and legs and chest even more prominent. She wished the voice would stop until she realized who it was.

"What are you doing here?" she mumbled, dazed. Lifting her head, she squinted at him and located a dark patch on his shirt.

"I'm back from the mission. What did you _do_?" he demanded, his touch gentle as he not quite touched one of the cuts on her arm.

"I shattered the mirror. How was the mission?" She could remember what she had done, now. It seemed silly, but it was gratifying. No regret.

"It was fine. Why did you do that?" Martin was bewildered.

"You know why," Diana said quietly, and touched his shoulder. She had not thought to be worried about his going into the field without her, and that shamed her. "Did you get hurt?"

"I'm fine, it was Elizabeth who took most of it," he replied. His eyes were uncertain. "I'm sorry I told you not to worry. You were right."

She nodded her head. "I knew I was. She told me I was."

Anger tensed his body, followed by understanding. "She told… oh, Di."

Tears stung her eyes, but she didn't want... she didn't know what she didn't want. She did know what she wanted. "Hold me," she whispered.

Martin laid down on the bed next to her, and then his arms came around her, cradling her in a position that wasn't really very comfortable because the bed wasn't quite big enough for both of them, but she didn't care. He was there with her, where he belonged, and that was what mattered.

"I love you," she whispered.

He was tired. "What?"

"Nothing. Just unsaying something." She smiled at his confusion and kissed him on the mouth. "Go to sleep."

He obeyed, closing his eyes and falling asleep almost immediately. She laid her head on his chest and watched him until her own eyes grew heavy. As she slipped into dream land, her sole regret was that she hadn't been present to watch Elizabeth get what she deserved. But then, she did have Martin in the end, and that was worth more than anything.

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And so ends a rather dramatic chapter – that's what happens when you get inspired by songs. Leave a review!


	7. Rewards

**Chapter Seven:** Rewards  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Martin Mystery or any characters you recognize from it.  
**Additional Notes:** So it's been like over a year, heh. But the good thing about this story is that it's essentially just a bunch of one-shots linked together. Or at least, that's the excuse I'm hiding behind! At least this is a pretty long one (and I didn't even try to make it so, it just happened). This chapter is more focusing on Martin's natural protectiveness towards Diana, and underscores how he'd do anything (no matter how stupid) to protect her.

* * *

_You know it's true  
Baby, I'd die for you  
I'd die for you, I'd cry for you  
If it came right down to me and you  
You know it's true, Baby I'd die for you_

_I might not be a savior  
And I'll never be a king  
I might not send you roses  
Or buy you diamond rings  
But if I could see inside you  
Maybe I'd know just who we are  
'Cause our love is like a hunger_  
_Without it we would starve..._  
Bon Jovi – I'd Die For You

* * *

Someone was screaming, in the distance, but close enough that he could hear. His head whipped around, searching frantically. Was it her? It was nearly impossible to tell what direction the voice was coming from. The thick green fog had lowered around them, separating him from his two teammates. One second, her hand had been holding onto the back of his shirt, and the next, she had slipped away just before he reached out to her. His hand had closed around nothing and she was gone.

"Diana!" he shouted, and coughed as the fog slipped into his mouth, constricting his vocal cords. He bent over, wrapping his hands over his lips in an effort to keep the fog out, and struggled to breathe calmly and slowly when all he felt like doing was freaking out. Panicking, however, wouldn't do any good. It would just make the situation that much worse (he refused to think the looming question 'how could it _get_ any worse?' because somehow that always made it worse).

"Diana!" he yelled again, this time keeping his hands cupped loosely over his mouth. It helped, a little. "Java! Where are you? Can you hear me? Diana!"

The fog seemed to muffle the sound of his voice, bouncing the sound back at him. It had become so thick that when he took a step forward, it almost seemed to be pushing against his body. It was hard to move, and after a moment he activated the U-Watch on his wrist and took out the X-Rod. He spun the rod in front of him to make a pathway, ushering the fog to either side and moving quickly through the open space so that there wasn't enough time for the fog to regroup. Belatedly, he wondered what had happened to the creature that had made the fog and prayed again for the safety of his friends.

The three of them had been spent unexpectedly to a small town in the south of Italy. The residents there had been reporting strange instances of in-human screaming during the night and an ever increasing fog that was an unusual color. None of the three had been able to find anything during the day, and it had been Martin's own bright idea to stay in the middle of the town square that night to see what would happen. The fog that had risen seemed, at first, to be of the normal wispy variety. But then Diana had spotted an odd apparition out on the water, and before they could investigate, the fog had turned the color of limes and swarmed in on them.

"She told me this was a stupid idea but I had to insist we do it anyway," he muttered under his breath, mentally kicking himself. Diana had been frightened, he'd seen it in her emerald eyes and felt it in the way she'd nervously clutched at his shirt and pressed herself against him, even though she vehemently denied it. But he'd foolishly believed that he would be able to protect her against anything. Martin gritted his teeth, silently vowing that he would get revenge on the creature.

The feeling of water lapping around his ankles made him realize that he'd just walked into the ocean. Instead of being angry, however, he was relieved, and he crouched down and splashed some water on his face before he looked around. The fog had gotten him all turned around and disoriented. He thought he knew where he was, now, and when he turned to the right and saw the lights in the near distance, he knew that he was correct. The town where they had started out was about a ten minute walk down the coast. Somehow, the fog had actually _transported_ them along with it as it rolled.

"Well, that's great," he seethed, rising to his feet. His pants were soaked from the ocean waves, but he didn't really care. He was far more preoccupied with the fact that Java and Diana could be anywhere by now. A slight chill traveled down his spine at the thought of Diana being trapped in the middle of the fog. Oh, he knew she could take care of herself, and she would undoubtedly be annoyed if she knew how concerned he was, but he couldn't help himself. His natural urge to take care of and protect Diana was stronger than anything else, and that included his will to live.

"Heya, Martin!"

Later on, Martin would steadfastedly deny the rather girlish scream that escaped his mouth when something tapped him on the shoulder and spoke to him. He would also deny that he jumped sideways (clearing at least a foot in the air in the process), tripped over a partially submerged stone when he turned to run, and fell face first into the cold water. Billy, who floated above the submerged teen with an expression that could only be described as mischievous, quickly schooled his features into a sheepish look as Martin raised his head with a several irritated _look_ in his crimson eyes.

"Billy!" the blond was roaring angrily less than a minute later as he leapt to his feet, trying to regain his dignity. "How many times do we have to tell you to not. Do. THAT. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry, Marty," the small green alien said cheerfully, sounding anything but apologetic. "My mistake. I thought you knew I was there. I just came to tell you that the Center picked up Java about twenty miles from here. The Center was alerted when the tracers from your U-Watch stopped working and scouts have been trailing the perimeters of the fog to find you guys for the last five hours."

"Five hours?" Martin echoed, a look of shock spreading over his face. He glanced at his real watch to verify the time, but it had apparently stopped working when the fog had come up, judging by the numbers frozen on the screen. "But that's impossible!" Even as he weakly spoke the words, he knew that nothing that was impossible when the paranormal was involved. Somehow, the fog must have been distorting time, because he was positive that he'd only been inside for an hour at the most. "Did you find Diana?"

"Diana?" Billy tilted his head a little and looked around, as though just noticing the girl wasn't present. "We thought she would be with you."

Martin's expression turned to one of horror. "You mean, you haven't found her yet? She's still in there?"

Both of them turned to look at the fog at the same time. It was gaining speed, rapidly billowing towards the nearest village. The mass was staying together with none of it being left behind, heading in one direction, like storm clouds that are low to the ground. At any moment, it might turn and go out to sea, although it didn't look as though that was the path it would take. The density of the fog seemed to have lessened, judging by the fact that the trees were now standing and not in ruins on the ground, but there was still nothing that could be seen through it. It seemed to be lit with its own ethereal lime green light, allowing no other light, whether artificial or natural, to penetrate.

Something seemed to be building inside of Martin as he stood there and watched the fog that still held... well, his Diana. He could feel rage swiftly rising within him. How dare that fog take her away from him? Diana was _his_. She belonged with him, and no one else, and he hadn't fought for her against so many guys only to have something that wasn't even alive take her away. He didn't even notice when he started moving forward, but it quickly turned into a run, until he was heading for the fog at full speed.

"Martin!" Billy leaned forward on the controls of his ship, sending it zooming forward. He swerved sharply, throwing himself in front of the teen. "Wait! We'll send scouts in, they'll find her. It's too dangerous."

"Think of Diana!" Just saying her name made him feel anxious. It was all his fault that she was in there, and no matter how much she could hold her own, he had to help her. "I can't wait for scouts to arrive, Billy. I _have_ to find her."

The intensity in Martin's voice and the way his eyes were glowing with determination was astonishing, and Billy was too shocked to protest when the boy dodged around him and sprinted into the fog without stopping to look back. Several scouts reached the alien a few minutes later. One of them held up a flashlight, lamely directing it into the slowly disappearing space where Martin had plowed in. All of them knew that it wouldn't do any good, yet none of them was willing to follow without strict instructions to do so. The best they could do was just wait and hope that the other two agents would return.

Unfortunately, Martin didn't really have a plan of attack, and soon after he left Billy, he stopped running and slowed down to a walk. He was, however, listening very intently and following as best he could a very weird sound. Sometime in between when he'd left the fog and when he'd re-entered, a moaning sound had begun to echo around. It sounded almost like something that was in pain, but (thank god) he could tell that it wasn't Diana's voice. He hoped it was the creature responsible for the fog, and that she'd killed or at least wounded it in some way. At the same time, he was hoping that the sound wouldn't stop anytime soon, as it was the only thing he had guiding him along.

"Diana!" he called out again. He had the sense that it was fruitless to yell her name, as the sounds that he made seemed to be swallowed up seconds after he made them. But it made him feel as though he was doing something. "Diana!"

He was totally unprepared when he heard what sounded like Diana responding. Immediately, he froze, hardly daring to move in case he wasn't just hearing things. After several minutes when he didn't hear anything, he tentatively shouted again, nearly jumping for joy when she replied and he realized that she must have been fairly close in order for him to hear her. He turned to the left and began running in the direction he perceived her voice to be coming from, yelling encouragement to her.

"Diana, I'm coming! Where are – " His voice was cut off abruptly when the world seemed to vanish below him. Martin let out a different kind of shout as he dropped down into space. His body struck the ground quite suddenly, and he found himself rolling head over heels down a steep incline. A boulder struck him in the side, stopping his progress, and he cringed around it, gasping for air against the sharpness of the pain.

"I must have stepped off of a hill…" he mumbled to himself when he was able to regain his breath, and used the boulder to push himself up. His midsection burned with pain when he took a step, but he ignored it. Diana was so close, he could feel it. His footsteps were uneven, and he staggered slightly as he moved, but all of that was forgotten when the fog seemed to grow thinner without warning and he saw the huddled form of the girl he'd been searching for less than ten feet away.

"Diana!" Martin was beside her in an instant, the pain of his forgotten as he fell to his knees and threw his arms around her. It took him a second to realize that she wasn't responding, and when he pulled away, he saw that her eyes were closed. Her breathing was regular and deep. He shook her lightly, cradling her slender body close. "Diana? Wake up, it's me. Diana!"

Her eyes fluttered, slowly opening to reveal dazed emerald eyes. It seemed to take her a minute to recognize him. "Martin?" she whispered, and blinked, seeming to regain some awareness. Her voice was weak, and he couldn't begin to guess how she had summoned the strength to call for him when it seemed to be taking all she had to remain awake. "Where have you been?"

"I was looking for you," he answered, gently smoothing several strands of hair out of her face. "I escaped the fog and spoke to Billy – they found Java – but when I heard you were still inside, I came back to look for you."

A smile touched the corners of her mouth, and she turned her head towards his chest. "I knew you would come. I walked around for a long time after we got separated, but I couldn't move anymore and then I fell down that hill and it was just too much. I'm so tired. This fog is sapping my strength."

As she spoke the words, it occurred to him that he was feeling unnaturally tired as well. He had been running on adrenaline up until he'd found Diana, but now that she was with him, he could feel exhaustion pulling at him, and it was so tempting to just lie on the ground with Diana in his arms and sleep. He had to forcibly shake himself to knock the temptation away, and the motion caused her eyes to open up again as well. Martin set her gently on the ground and stood up, then pulled her up as well, wrapping an arm around her waist in order to keep her standing. His side ached from her weight.

"Come on, we're getting out of here," he said firmly, starting to walk forward again. The fog was getting thinner the further they moved, and he wondered if perhaps this meant they were nearing the center of it. The moaning sound was getting louder the closer they got, and by the time there was no fog at all, Martin could see what they were facing.

They were standing in a small oval with the lime green fog on all sides. In the very middle of the fog was a tiny yellow blob-like creature about the size of his fist. It was writhing on the ground, making strange yowling sounds. He helped Diana to sit down, and then edged his way over to it, ready if it suddenly jumped up and tried to strike at him. But nothing happened – the creature just kept rolling around on the ground, thrashing and moaning. He observed it for a second and noticed that there was a hole about the size of a quarter in the middle of it. As he watched, the hole grew a little bit larger and the moans became screeches of what was undeniably pain.

Martin crouched down next to the blob and looked at it curiously. Whatever it was, it was dying. Perhaps that was why the fog was being exuded – as a form of protection. The locals of the town had reported that the color had started off as a very dark green, and then had grown a bit lighter each time the fog appeared. He was willing to bet that the next time the fog came, it would have been bright yellow, and maybe that would've been the end. But he couldn't wait that long, not if there was the possibility that the blob was stealing their strength to prolong its death.

It was harder to get to his feet this time, but he managed it after a couple of tries. Without stopping to think about it, he lifted his foot and brought it down hard on the little blob. The screeching became one long drawn out squeal of what might have been relief, and then his foot met the sand beneath it as the blob exploded. Almost immediately, the fog surrounding the oval where they were started to dissipate, but he could see that it was going to be a slow process.

He pulled his sneakers off, not wishing to wear the blob, and crawled back to Diana, who had passed out again. Martin took off the light sweater he was wearing over his t-shirt and folded it to make a pillow, then rested his head against it as he pulled Diana close. She rolled towards him obligingly, her face tilting in his direction, and he couldn't help himself – he kissed her softly and sweetly, smiling at the way that she responded even when she was in a deep sleep. He pulled away and studied the face that he had already committed to memory.

"I love you," he whispered to her, hoping that she could hear him, knowing that someday soon he would be able to say to her face when she wasn't sleeping. Then he wrapped his arms even more tightly around her and allowed sleep to carry him away as well.

It was a long while after that before Martin stirred again. He was not sure just how long, but he knew it had been at least several hours, possibly days. His body felt rested, but there was still a lingering exhaustion, and his eyes opened slowly, blinking in the bright sunlight that was shining down. He was facing the ocean, and he could see a seagull swooping down towards the water. It didn't take the memories long to come back to him, and he noticed that there was a shadow covering him and Diana, who was still curled up in his arms with her head resting against his neck. Very slowly, tensing as he moved, he looked up to see M.O.M., Billy, and Java all standing over them.

"... Hey guys," Martin greeted them after a minute. His voice was harsh and he coughed, the movement waking Diana, who appeared to be completely confused when she found herself sleeping on the beach in the arms of her partner.

M.O.M. just looked at them for a minute, and there was a variety of emotions flashing through her turquoise eyes. After a very tense moment, she said simply, "Good work, team," turned on her heel, and walked back over to the agents who were collecting samples of the remainder of the blob. Billy and Java followed, but only after second glances at Martin and Diana.

"What _happened_?" Diana asked in bewilderment, sitting up. She ran her fingers through her hair, frowning when she hit the tangles caused by salt water. "Oooh. Never mind." Her face contorted into a grimace. "I remember."

Martin smiled at her, feeling about as relieved as a boy could feel. "I stepped on it to get rid of it, but I knew there was no way we'd make it out when we didn't even know which direction to go in. So I just thought we'd wait it out here."

"You did, did you," she said, rolling her eyes at him. Her eyes were filled with relief and something else, and then, she proceeded to truly shock him. In full sight of M.O.M., Billy, Java, and the other Center agents, she leaned over and gave him a hard kiss on the mouth, then smoothed his hair down. "Thank you for saving me."

"Anytime," Martin said, dazed by the force of her kiss. When she went to stand up, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down, causing her to fall onto his lap with a shriek. Her elbow struck his side and he winced, but he wasn't about to let the chance get away. He wrapped his arms around her before she could regain her balance and kissed her again, and again, until she was too breathless to yell at him.

"What was that about?" she demanded, covering his mouth with her hand so that she could breathe.

"You've never heard of second and third rewards?" he asked, his mouth moving against her fingers.

Diana shivered and pulled her hand away. "Keep that up, and you won't be getting any rewards for a while," she said, using his shoulders to push herself up. She leaned down and whispered in his ear, "But if you can think about behaving yourself, there might be a much bigger and better reward for you waiting in the bath when we get home."

Martin's eyes grew as wide as eyes could get as his partner walked away, heading towards M.O.M. and Billy. Even though she looked tired and majorly disheveled, he thought that she never looked more beautiful to him than she did then. Of course, that may have been his excitement and anticipation over this talk of rewards. He jumped to his feet and took off after her without waiting a second more, eager to prove that he was definitely someone who deserved a bath with her as a reward.

* * *

Well, there you go. I'll try to get another chapter out before very long, but don't hold to me that. If anyone is real interested, I'd consider writing what happens later that night and posting it on the adult version of this site, so let me know. Anyway, please review!


	8. Promise

A/N: Okay, so this will be the last chapter of _The Problem With Parents_. As I see it, it's the kind of story that could go on forever without any closure, so I'm hoping that this chapter will bring something of the sort to you. And I really apologize for the extremely long absence.

* * *

_All that it takes, one more chance  
Don't let our last kiss be our last  
I'm outta my mind just to show you  
I know everything changes  
I don't care where it takes us  
'Cause I know how I feel about you_

Not a day pass me by  
When I don't think about you  
And there's no moving on  
'Cause I know you're the one  
And I can't be without you

**Miranda Cosgrove – About You**

The future.

It was amazing how two words – one word, really – could cause so much trouble. Diana Lombard sat at her desk and cradled her aching head in her hands. There was too much to think about and she didn't feel as though she had the time she needed to think it all over. She could practically _hear_ her father commenting on how she had left things too late, and how there wasn't enough time to straighten everything out, but there was still plenty of time left before she had to decide. But that didn't mean her concerns ceased to exist. No, it was quite the opposite.

Diana didn't know what to do about the future. It was that simple. Leaving Martin seemed unfathomable. She could hardly remember what life was like without him, and thus going away for university was out of the question. But was it right to deny herself so many opportunities just because she was in love? The very thought seemed to be against every feminist concept that she had ever learned.

And what of Martin, what would he do? He fit in so well at the Centre; she couldn't imagine he would go anywhere else. From the time he had joined as a young teenager, he meshed perfectly with the odd and unique creatures that inhabited the Centre. There was never any doubt that Martin Mystery had found his calling. The fact that he had been fortunate enough to do so at the age he had was something that made her jealous, because she had no idea. For all her plans, facts, and figures, the rest of her life was a big old blank.

"And I don't know if I want to stay there," Diana murmured to herself, idly tracing a picture of a flower onto one of her university applications. She liked the Centre, but she had always gotten the feeling that she wasn't quite as good at being an agent as Martin was. If it weren't for him, she knew that she probably would've quit a long time. It wasn't even about her physical or mental abilities; she just didn't have the same passion for the job that Martin did. He loved dealing with the paranormal and lived for when the U-Watch would summon them.

Not for the first time, she considered the fact that the Centre _did_ have postings all over the world, which meant that Martin might be able to come with her if she did go away. But could she deal with Martin going out into the field on a regular basis and not being there to know what had happened? If he never came back, Diana knew that she would never be able to live with herself for not being there. The problem was, she just didn't know if she really wanted to spend the rest of her life being an agent. There was so much more out there, and as much as she loved Billy, Java, and M.O.M., it seemed like a waste to limit herself to just one experience.

Diana sighed slowly and pushed herself away from her desk. It was times like this that she wished that she could be more like Martin. He never seemed to worry about anything. Despite all of the times she had lectured him about not being prepared, it was a trait Diana rather envied. What must it be like to coast through life, feeling certain that everything would just work out for the better?

"Hey Di!" As though in answer to her thoughts, her door flew open behind her. Diana jumped as Martin barged into her room, a grin lighting up his face. "What'cha doin?"

"I'm busy," Diana said shortly, trying to hide the fact that he'd frightened her. The sting of her reply was cancelled by the softness in her vivid green eyes as Martin tossed himself down on her neatly made bed. He rolled over and smiled at her. She couldn't help it. Her lips automatically smiled in return.

"Do you want to go grab a burger?" he asked. "I'm starving."

"Maybe in a minute," she said absently, looking at him intently. "Martin, do you ever think about the future?"

Martin looked up at her somewhat warily. "The future, Di?"

"Yeah, you know." Uncomfortable by the scrutiny in his crimson gaze, Diana turned away and began to gather the applications on her desk together. "The future. What we're going to do after high school. That sort of thing."

"Well, not really," Martin said slowly, wondering what brought this on. "Do you mean... the future between you and me?"

"No. Well, yes, I suppose."

"I don't know," he admitted. "I know I want to be with you forever."

His words caused a slow flush to cross Diana's cheeks and her grip on the papers she was holding tightened. Neither one of them had gotten up the courage to say _those_ words while the other was conscious. Martin's admission was the closest either one had gotten, and she couldn't deny the effect it had on her. "I want to be with you, too," she whispered.

Before either of them could say anything else, a familiar beeping filled the air. Diana sighed and rose from her seat as Martin sprang up from the bed. He held the U-Watch up and scanned the room until he found the portal, located this time inside her closet. As she approached and started to open the door, Martin caught her around the shoulders and ducked his head to kiss her gently. She leaned against him and returned the kiss, enjoying the quiet moment where nothing else intruded on their time together.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long. The U-Watch beeped again, more impatiently this time. Martin drew back with a look of disgust and shook his head, clearly annoyed. Diana shot him a sympathetic smile as she pushed the door open and let herself fall into the bright blue light. Her body tingled all over as her feet came into contact with a hard surface. Moments later, Martin stepped onto the platform next to her. Each of them placed a hand on the scanner, which confirmed their identities and allowed them access to M.O.M.'s control center.

"Welcome, agents," M.O.M. said briskly, quickly shutting one of the drawers on her desk. After years of having Martin around, she had clearly learned the value of keeping a completely bare desk when he entered the room. Diana hid her smirk behind a hair toss as she and Martin approached the woman's desk.

"Hey, M.O.M., how are things hanging?" Martin greeted cheerfully, looking for all the world as though he wanted to hop up onto the corner of her desk. He knew better, though, and settled for casually placing his hand on the curve of Diana's back. She shivered slightly, warmed just by the touch of his hand, but contained herself when she caught M.O.M.'s sharp eye on them.

Normally, agents who were romantically involved were not allowed to continue in partnerships. It was considered to be a compromise to both the mission and to the agents themselves. But Martin had a lot of sway at the Centre. He was one of their best agents and together, he and Diana made up one of the best teams. She was never quite sure exactly what he had done, but one day their love was an issue, and the next day, it wasn't. Still, by mutual agreement, the two of them did their best to avoid drawing attention to the fact that they were a couple. It just seemed like the best idea.

"Today, you'll be going to a small mountain village in Russia," M.O.M. said, drumming her fingernails on the desktop. "There have been reports of an unusual shadow appearing at night, and several people have mysteriously disappeared only to reappear hours later in another location with no memory of what happened. I'm afraid that Java won't be joining you. We have some tasks here at the Centre that we need him to attend to instead."

Diana raised her eyebrows; this was quite unusual. Normally if one member of the team couldn't join them, the team just didn't go. The Centre must have been quite busy to send out just her and Martin, although she didn't really mind. She was confident that she and Martin could handle anything, and judging by the grin on his face, Martin felt the same way. His hand gripped hers and squeezed tightly as the two of them took off at a run towards the portal that had materialized in the middle of the room. There was an odd sort of shimmer in the air, and then when Diana opened her eyes, she saw rows of quaint, brightly painted houses and mountains in the distance.

"Here we are, I guess," Martin observed. "It looks pretty quiet."

He was right, and Diana was puzzled. It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon, so there should've been at least a few people walking around. Instead, the town was virtually deserted. She couldn't see a single person or pet; it was hard to believe that no one owned a dog or cat. Slowly, she moved forward, her steps hesitant. A strong feeling of wrongness crept over her the further she went. Martin must have felt similarly, because he reached out, touching her arm to stop her from continuing.

"Something's wrong," he said, his eyes sweeping over the area. "Stay close."

"I know. Use the U-Watch to see if there's anyone around."

As Martin played with the watch, Diana walked over to the nearest house and peered in the window. The inside of the house looked as though the occupants had merely left for a few minutes. A pot was sitting on the stove, and there was a half eaten piece of cake on the table. Diana moved on to the next house. The television had been left on, and she could see what looked like a pile of knitting on the floor, beside a half-chewed dog bone. There was even a running fish tank with no fish inside. Whatever had happened to the people had clearly happened to the animals as well.

"I don't see anyone around," Martin said, coming up behind her. There was concern in his voice. "The U-Watch isn't giving me anything. Do you think we should call the Centre?"

"Let's look around a little more," Diana suggested, knowing that Martin hated giving up on a mission. "M.O.M. said that sometimes people could be missing for hours, so maybe this is one of those times." She swung her head to gaze over the village, feeling chilled by the stark absence of life. "Maybe we can find a clue as to where everyone has gone, or about that shadow. It's almost sundown."

The two of them set off together, searching for signs of life within the community. Diana made sure to stick close to Martin, but it didn't seem to matter. If it hadn't been for the fact that M.O.M. had confirmed the town was inhabited, she would have been convinced that the townspeople had up and deserted. Stores were left unwatched, the doors hanging open for any thief to wander in. Restaurants with food slowly congealing on the tables. She could hear water running in several of the houses they walked by. Even the bank and police station were unmanned.

"This is really creepy," she murmured after some time, wrapping her arms around her body. Night was beginning to fall, and after having been in the town for almost two hours with no sign of anyone, she wasn't so sure she wanted to spend the night there.

Martin was watching her closely. "Why don't we sit by the fountain for a while?" he said, draping a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It's pretty well lit, and if no one shows up by midnight, then we'll contact the Centre and tell them to just monitor the town to see if – or when – anyone comes back."

Diana nodded slowly. "That sounds reasonable. You know, it's weird. I haven't seen any of the normal paranormal signs of activity. Usually we find slime or _some_thing."

"I know. I've been running periodic scans with the U-Watch, and it's like everyone in the town just put down what they were doing and walked away." Martin was frowning as he spoke, and his voice was full of frustration. "This is one of the strangest missions we've ever been on. How are we supposed to take care of the situation when there's nothing and no one to explain what happened?"

She had no answer for them. They sat on the edge of the fountain in silence, listening to the sound of the water trickling back into the pool below. Diana gazed morosely over the town. One of the things she liked about being a Centre agent was the gratitude in people's eyes when their problem was solved. It didn't look as though that would be happening on this mission. What if the people never came back and the Centre couldn't discover what happened to them?

"Di, I'll be right back," Martin said suddenly. He had been squirming on the bench beside her and now stood. "I gotta go."

"Don't take too long," Diana said, trying to inject a note of amusement into her voice. She didn't really want Martin to know just how terrified she was at the thought of being alone. Her gaze followed his slender form as he jogged towards the woods that bordered the town on one side. Alarm leapt through her when she couldn't see him anymore, but she pressed it down, knowing that Martin would never go very far away from her when they were so alone in the middle of nowhere. Still, she was uncomfortably aware of the pressing silence around her.

Then the lights went out.

And Martin screamed.

Diana leapt to her feet, searching the area desperately. It was so dark that she couldn't see her hands in front of her face, much less anything else in the vicinity. "Martin!" she yelled helplessly, cursing the fact that she couldn't see a thing and didn't have a flashlight. If she had the U-Watch, it would've been much easier. As it was, she was resigned to holding her hands out in front of her and feeling her way in the direction Martin had gone. It was tedious and slow going, and the fact that Martin hadn't answered her – hadn't spoken since he'd cried out – only worried her more.

"Ow, shit," Diana hissed quietly, rubbing her shin. She kicked the lawn chair she'd walked into and strode by, realizing that she'd made it to the woods when a branch whacked her on the cheek. Breathing hard, she paused, realizing that she had no idea which way Martin had gone or how far into the woods he had ventured. Knowing him, he might've been attracted by the sign of something and gone in too deep.

"Martin!" she called again, waiting for an answer. There was nothing. Diana bit her lip, so frightened she could cry, and took a step forward. Her foot caught and she stumbled, landing hard on her knees. Her chest squeezed and she gasped for breath, rolling limply onto her side. For how long she lay there taking slow, deep breaths Diana didn't know, but she at last grasped the presence of mind to reach out and see what had tripped her. Her hand came into contact with soft hair, followed by smooth skin.

Smothering a gasp, Diana groped for the person's arms. Sure enough, her fingers found the U-Watch and she quickly activated the flashlight, lighting up the scene around them. Martin was sprawled on the ground in front of her, unconscious. Blood dribbled down the side of his face from a large cut on his forehead, and his hands, arms and chest were cut up, as though he had been struggling with something.

"Martin... Oh, thank god..." Diana whispered, feeling her racing heart gradually calming. She closed her eyes to contain the tears she felt trying to break free. Even though he was out, she felt safer just being near him. "Stay still, okay? I'm going to call for help." Gently, she unclasped the U-Watch and slipped it around her own wrist. It took her a minute to remember how to contact the Centre. The U-Watch was a complicated little piece of machinery.

"This is the Centre, agent 001293 speaking." The voice blasted into the silent clearing, and Diana very nearly screamed. "What is your status?"

"This is Diana Lombard," she whispered, placing her lips beside the watch. "We were sent to a village in Russia earlier today. My partner, Martin Mystery, has been attacked and wounded and is currently unconscious. The townspeople are still missing. We need help immediately."

There was no response from the U-Watch, which she took to be a good thing. Diana settled as close to Martin as she could, knowing that it would take a couple of minutes for the agents to locate them. Her right ankle and knees throbbed painfully as she moved and Diana winced. She had been so upset over finding Martin that she hadn't even noticed the damage she'd done to herself in the process. There was no question that the two of them would be spending at least a couple of days in the Centre's hospital wing after this experience, and they didn't even have anything to show for it.

She was relieved when the familiar blue portal lit up and four Centre agents came out, accompanied by M.O.M. and Billy. Actually, if she was being entirely honest, she had never been so glad to see someone in her whole life. The agents attended immediately to Martin, checking his breathing and carefully placing him on a stretcher. Then he was carried into the portal. Diana watched them go, hoping that Martin hadn't been hurt too badly, and looked up at M.O.M.

"Agent Lombard, what happened?"

"We got here and looked around for the townspeople," Diana said, feeling an odd trickle down the side of her cheek as she spoke. She touched her left cheek and realized she was bleeding. "But there was no one around. Martin performed several scans and got nothing. We decided to wait in the middle of the town after having no luck with a physical search, since you said the shadow only appears at night. Martin had to go to the bathroom. I waited by the fountain, and then the lights went out and I heard him scream. I found him here. Actually, I tripped over him, literally. Then I called you and that's it." She shrugged helplessly, aware of how lame her story sounded.

M.O.M. sighed. "We'll keep the town under surveillance," she said finally. The lights of the town had failed to come back on, so the entire area beyond their little portion was complete darkness. "I'll send some agents back in the morning. Hopefully we'll have more to go by at that point. Are you injured, Agent Lombard?"

"Not really," Diana said. She started to get to her feet and squealed, shocked by the snap of pain that traveled from her knees all the way up her spine and back down again. Her legs buckled, and she would've fallen had M.O.M. not reached out and grabbed her with a well-placed arm. Diana found herself half-leaning against the taller woman while Billy requested another gurney from the Centre.

It was rather embarrassing to have to lay down on the gurney and be rolled into the Centre as though she was on her deathbed, but Diana was happy to get away from the creepy little town. The longer she stayed there, the more certain she was that something truly horrific, beyond anything that she or Martin had faced before, had gone on. She had the niggling sense that Martin had gotten off easy, and that it was pure luck that she hadn't come across his corpse instead. The thought was chilling, and it was comforting to see the familiar sights and sounds of the Centre.

Diana willingly allowed one of the nurses to help her strip off her clothing, grimacing when she saw that her favourite pair of pants was completely covered in a sickening combination of mud and blood. The nurse noticed her expression and tossed the pants into a nearby garbage can before helping Diana to lie down again. Several doctors entered the room. Most of them went to Martin and rolled his gurney out the door, but a couple approached her and began to perform scans with advanced machines.

"You've bruised your knees and sprained your ankle and left wrist," one of the doctors informed her at last, making a notation on a clipboard. "You'll be back to normal in about a week, but you'll have trouble standing for the next day or two. I suggest you take it easy."

"And Martin?" She gazed anxiously towards the door through which Martin had disappeared.

The doctor smiled. "Actually, Agent Mystery got off easier than you did. His cuts and scrapes are not that serious, and the wound on his head looked more serious than it really was, as is often the case with that sort of thing. We were able to clean and bandage him. He'll be waking up soon, if he's not awake already."

"Thank you," Diana said, unable to hide how much of a relief that information was. "Do you know what attacked him?"

"Based on his cuts, it could have been anything," the doctor said, shrugging. "There was nothing unusual about them, although we do suspect that you probably saved his life."

"Me?" Diana couldn't help finding the idea amusing. "I didn't do anything. I didn't even see it."

"No, but your presence probably scared it away," said the doctor in a matter-of-fact way. "Your brother might have suffered the same fate as the townspeople."

A chill ran down Diana's spine, and she was too preoccupied with the thought of what might have happened to bother correcting the doctor, the way she normally would have. He left, leaving her alone in the chilly room. She gingerly rubbed her swollen left knee and sighed as the door slid open. Diana straightened up and pulled her hospital gown over her knees, delighted to see Martin walking through on his own.

"You're okay," she said, running her eyes over him anxiously. It wasn't a question, but it came out sounding like one, and Martin nodded.

"I'm fine. Thanks to you, or so they tell me." A crooked grin touched his lips as he made his way over to her and eased himself onto the bed across from hers. "Are you okay, Di?"

"I'll survive," she said lightly. His expression didn't change, and with an internal sigh she reluctantly pulled back her gown to show him the damage. Martin grew concerned immediately and slid off of the bed, examining her knees closely. She could admit, they looked awful, swollen to about twice their normal size and a lovely black-and-blue color all over. It didn't really hurt as long as she didn't move, but trying to straighten or bend her legs was absolute murder.

"I should've been there," Martin muttered.

"You were. I tripped over you and that's how I got hurt."

Martin smiled ever so slightly. "I always said you were a klutz," he said, aiming to give her a kiss on the forehead. Diana looked up and their eyes met. Slowly, he moved in and kissed her gently, a reaffirmation of the fact that both of them had come through the creepy incident alive.

"I'm just glad we're both away from there," she said once he had pulled back. "That was a seriously creepy place. Somehow I doubt they'll ever find out what really happened there. It's a ghost town now."

It was unusual to hear the normally scientific Diana talking about ghost towns, but Martin couldn't deny the truth of her words. "Di, you know how you were talking about the future earlier?"

"Yes." Actually, in light of everything that had happened, she had nearly forgotten.

"I don't want you to worry about it too much."

"I can't help _but_ worry," Diana said irritably. "I know you want to stay with the Centre, but I don't know if I do. Sometimes I think I might, and then others time – like today – I can't stand the thought of it. I don't even know whether or not I go to university, and forgot knowing what I might want to study. I want to be with you, but I don't know – " She was cut off by a finger pressed firmly to her lips.

"I love you, Diana."

Diana's eyes widened and she swallowed audibly. "I love you, too."

"Here, this is for you." Martin pulled a small jewellery box out of the pocket of his hospital gown and placed it on her lap. Diana stared down at it wordlessly. "I've had it for a while but I was never sure of the right time. I wanted to make sure it was perfect, but something always happened to screw it up. This wasn't exactly the scenario I was dreaming of," he indicated the hospital wing with a wry smile, "but what matters is that you have it."

"Martin, this isn't..."

"Just open it, Di."

Diana did as he requested, sliding open the velvet cover and pulling out the beautiful ring inside. She could hardly believe what she was seeing. It was a slender, white gold band with an emerald and a ruby on top; both jewels had been cut into the shape of half a heart and placed together so that it formed a whole. Surrounding the heart were several tiny diamonds that winked in the light when she moved the ring back and forth.

"Martin..."

"It's not what you're thinking. I know we're too young for that." Gently, he took the ring out of her hands and slid it onto her right ring finger. "It's a promise ring, Di. Because I promise that no matter what happens in the future, we're going to be together."

Diana's eyes filled with tears. "This must have cost a fortune," she managed. "How did you pay for it?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets," he answered, grinning. "I don't want you to worry about the future anymore, Diana. Let it happen when it wants to happen." He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and cupped her cheek. "I just want to enjoy being with you. I love you, Di, more than anything else in the world. Even more than my job at the Centre, if that's what it comes to. I'd do anything to be with you."

The tears slipped free, streaming down her cheeks. Diana switched her gaze from the ring to Martin and smiled tremulously. "I love you, too," she said again, throwing her arms around his neck. Her knees gave a twinge of pain from the sudden movement, but Diana didn't care. It was well worth the pain to be able to kiss the man she loved.

* * *

And so, that's it, the end. I hope you feel it was a fitting one, because I certainly do.


End file.
